Blade, who has turned Independence High School's football program into the toast of Class 5A since leaving Oak Ridge before the 2013 season, will chase his second consecutive championship when his Eagles (14-0) take on BlueCross Bowl newcomer Farragut (13-1) at 8 p.m. EST on Friday at Tennessee Tech's Tucker Stadium in Cookeville.

"I had nothing but respect for (Farragut) when we played them at Oak Ridge, and nothing but respect for them when we rekindled that memory again as we watch them on film," Blade said during Monday's media availability inside Nissan Stadium. "(Coach Eddie Courtney's) team is really good. They're five points away from being undefeated. They play as balanced of an offense as there is, and their defense is tenacious and gets after you."

Blade, chasing his third state title overall, finished 1-3 against the Admirals during his stint at Oak Ridge from 2009-12. He finished 35-15 overall during his tenure, including a run to the 2010 semifinals.

"I kind of like this matchup," Courtney said. "There’s similarities with what we do offensively and defensively. There really are."

Blade joins Dresden coach Derek Rang as former PrepXtra-area coaches advancing to Cookeville. Rang coached Powell to a 12-2 finish and the Class 5A semifinals in his lone season in 2012. He resigned the following March after being placed on administrative leave for allegations of testing irregularities. He was hired at Dresden the following year, and has since turned the top-ranked Lions into a state power.

Dresden (14-0) will take on third-ranked Greenback (14-0) at noon Friday in Class 1A.

"I'm pretty familiar with them," said Rang, a 2003 Maryville High School graduate. "I grew up 10 miles from them. I know about their traditions, the trucks backed up to the fence. I've been to their field before. It's a unique place."

The two games are among five involving area football teams this week.

Webb (11-1) will chase its fourth state championship in five years and ninth overall when it plays Lausanne (13-0) in Division II-A at 4 p.m. on Thursday. Greenback is after its first title since the program started in 1987. Its game will precede Alcoa's bid for its 15th state championship. The Tornadoes (13-1) are scheduled to play Liberty Magnet (12-2) at 4 p.m. on Friday. Farragut's game will follow.

Central (12-2) will take on Memphis East (12-2) at 4 p.m. on Saturday in Class 4A. The game is a rematch of the 1999 game, which Memphis East won. Central hasn't advanced this far since. Memphis East hasn't been to a championship game since 2000.

Rankin's Bid: Alcoa Gary Rankin is after an unprecedented 12th state championship as a coach. The state's all-time winningest coach currently is tied with Maryville's George Quarles with 11 titles.

A win against Liberty would mark Rankin's 100th postseason victory of his career.

Television Schedule: MyVLT will broadcast each of this week's state championship games live, beginning with Webb-Lausanne at 4 p.m. on Thursday.

Contact Chris Thomas at chris.thomas@knoxnews.com. Follow him at twitter.com/christhomaskns